Club tags and suffixes

[John Russell]

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

A new season is almost upon us just as our eardrums are recovering from a summer-long assault by the vuvuzelas. The kick-off will welcome a new club to the League Fold, Stevenage Borough, promoted from the Football Conference, new blood, new vigour embellishing the ancient League. But to anoraks like me, Stevenage brings a little extra, a new name “tag” or “suffix” – Borough.

The distinctive names of our clubs bring an added dimension to our game which can be taken for granted. “Forest”, “Wednesday”, “North End” can only mean one club and it would be hard to imagine those clubs with any other name. Few other Leagues, if any, can boast such a rich heritage and we should celebrate that.

“Borough” brings the number of suffixes in the 92 clubs of the English Leagues to 22 shared by 67 different clubs as follows:

- 15 UNITED (Carlisle, Colchester, Hartlepool, Hereford, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford(welcome back), Peterborough, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Southend, Sheffield, Torquay and West Ham)

- 13 CITY (Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Exeter, Hull, Leicester, Lincoln, Manchester, Norwich, Stoke and Swansea)

- 9 TOWN (Aldershot, Cheltenham, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Macclesfield, Northampton, Shrewsbury, Swindon and Yeovil)

- 4 ROVERS (Blackburn, Bristol, Doncaster and Tranmere)

- 3 ALBION (Brighton & Hove, Burton and West Bromwich)

- 3 ATHLETIC (Charlton, Oldham and Wigan)

- 3 COUNTY (Derby, Notts and Stockport)

- 3 WANDERERS (Bolton, Wolverhampton and Wycombe)

- 14 unique suffixes belonging to just one club, i.e. Crewe ALEXANDRA, Plymouth ARGYLE, Stevenage BOROUGH (welcome again!), Milton Keynes DONS, Nottingham FOREST, Tottenham HOTSPUR, Preston NORTH END, Leyton ORIENT, Crystal PALACE, Queens Park RANGERS, Accrington STANLEY, Port VALE, Aston VILLA and Sheffield WEDNESDAY.

The suffix “Borough” is described as “new” above, but this is not strictly true, as “Wigan Borough” played in the old Third Division (North) from 1921-32 resigning only 12 matches into the 1932-33 season through financial problems. When Wigan Athletic was formed a few months later they took over Borough’s old ground (Springfield Park) entering the League in 1978 and now, of course, are in Premier League. Let us hope Stevenage enjoy more success than their namesakes.

Watch out for the next article in this series which will deal with the suffixes of clubs no longer in the League, or no longer in existence.

[Stuart Basson]

Intersting stuff, John. Some might argue that "Palace" isn't really a suffix, as such, but as important to the proper name as the word "Crystal," while I note that Stevenage have won permission to drop the word "Borough" from their name from this season - although their nickname is apparently to remain "Boro."

My lot were originally "Municipal," and I'd be keen to find another club so named. I was struck by the number of "White Star," "Rising Star" and "Red Rose" clubs there were in my neck of the woods in the early years of the 20th century, although my favourite local one remains "New Tupton Ivanhoe," named, one assumes, by a fan of Walter Scott's work. How long before we get the "Clay Cross Hogwarts," I wonder?

Do you have a view on where the "United" suffix came from? I started noticing it in my research when local Methodist churches started teams suffixed, if that's a word, with their own brand of religion. So we had Clowne Primitives, Brimington Congregationals and Brampton United.

[John Russell]

Thanks for your interesting response, Stuart, to the first in this short series.

Of course, I could not include Municipal in the list as the list only includes club titles and suffixes of clubs during their league tenure and I believe they were out of the League (1909-21) when the local council had taken over the ownership of the club and the ground. By the start of the 1921-22 season which saw the launch of Division III (North) the club’s name had reverted to Chesterfield, ownership having passed back to the members at the League’s insistence.

Thanks for your information regarding Stevenage dropping the Borough suffix, the club has confirmed this fact which is a bit of a shame.

Finally regarding ‘Palace’ I take your point, but as the club’s supporters refer to them by this title I fell it would be churlish to delete a unique suffix from the list. Remember that famous headline “Queen scores at the Palace!”

Thanks again for the information on the wonderful suffixes of non-League clubs in your area. I would love to hear from anyone else with great suffixes in their area so we could produce a comprehensive list just for fun. My favourites include ‘Leigh Genesis,’ ‘Shepshed Charterhouse’ (Now Dynamo) and ‘Burntisland Shipyard’

[John Russell]

The first article in this short series dealt with the “suffixes” of League clubs which will appear in the 2010-11 season: this second article deals with clubs no longer in the Leagues, or which have made changes to their suffix since entering the League. Listed are a total of 38 clubs sharing 22 suffixes.
First, are 25 clubs sharing 9 suffixes also listed in the first article, i.e.:
-8 TOWN (Chesterfield *, Grimsby, Halifax, Luton, Mansfield, Merthyr, Rotherham * and Swansea *)
-4 CITY (Chester, Durham, Leeds and York)
-4 UNITED (Boston, Burton *, Cambridge and Maidstone)
-3 ATHLETIC (Aberdare, Bournemouth & Boscombe * and Millwall *)
-2 COUNTY (Newport and Rotherham *)
-1 BOROUGH (Wigan)
-1 NORTH END (Glossop)
-1 ORIENT (Clapton *)
-1 WANDERERS (Burton *)

And finally, 13 clubs each with unique suffixes:
Woolwich ARSENAL *, Stalybridge CELTIC, Rushden & DIAMONDS *, Leicester FOSSE *, Kidderminster HARRIERS, Middlesbrough IRONOPOLIS, Bradford PARK AVENUE, Burslem PORT VALE *, Burton SWIFTS *, New Brighton TOWER, Walsall TOWN SWIFTS *, Gainsborough TRINITY and Northwich VICTORIA.

* (EXPLANATORY NOTES)
-“Chesterfield Town” was the name of “Chesterfield” (1904-09).
-“Rotherham Town” amalgamated with “Rotherham County” to form “Rotherham United” in 1925.
-“Swansea Town” became “Swansea City” in 1970 to reflect Swansea’s civic status.
-“Burton United” resulted from the amalgamation of “Burton Swifts” and “Burton Wanderers” in 1901.
-“Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic” retitled as “AFC Bournemouth” in 1971.
-“Millwall Athletic” retitled as “Millwall” in 1925.
-“Clapton Orient” retitled as “Leyton Orient” after geographical move in 1946.
-“Woolwich Arsenal” retitled as “Arsenal” after geographical move in 1913.
-“Rushden & Diamonds” resulted from the amalgamation of “Rushden Town” and “Irthlingborough Diamonds” in 1992, entering the League in 2001; as “Diamonds” was clearly a suffix then, it seems appropriate to include it in this list despite the “and” sign.
-“Leicester Fosse” retitled as “Leicester City” in 1919.
-“Burslem Port Vale” retitled as “Port Vale” after geographical move in 1909.
-“Walsall Town Swifts” retitled as “Walsall” in 1895.

[John Russell]

Readers of the first two articles in this short series of League clubs’ suffixes will by now be aware that the most commonly used suffix is “United”, no fewer than 19 clubs having been so called. But which club was the first to use this by now familiar name? The answer will come as a surprise to many, the name having its roots not in football but in cricket.

The story begins around 1850 at which time cricket could claim to be England’s national sport, extremely popular and played by all levels of society, football still a “folk game”, completely unstructured with no common set of rules. In Sheffield cricket was especially popular, the centre of steel production, the town expanding rapidly. Cricket requires a decent sized field preferably flat, something in short supply in hilly Sheffield existing cricket fields thus finding their precious turf an easy desirable target for property developers. The game was in crisis, but a saviour was at hand.

The Duke of Norfolk owned several acres of prime land in the Bramall Lane area and fortunately his Land Agent was a cricket enthusiast. Aware of the local cricketers’ plight he persuaded the Duke to rent 8 ½ acres to the clubs. The field could accommodate three cricket grounds, was flat and relatively free from industrial pollution. Six clubs immediately took advantage of this generous offer: Sheffield, Broomhall, Milton, Caxton, Shrewsbury and The Wednesday. The ground itself was run by the United Ground Committee which soon adopted the title “Sheffield United Cricket Club” although no playing team of that title existed until 1892.

It is therefore widely acknowledged that the Sheffield United Cricket Club was the first sporting body to utilise the name “United”. It held its first match in April 1855, the Bramall Lane ground soon becoming the centre for Sheffield sport including football as well as bowls, archery etc. Such a ground required considerable financial support and as football gained popularity in the late 19th century, the Committee saw the value of installing a football club on the site bringing in valuable winter revenue (Yorkshire County Cricket Club utilised Bramall Lane as its HQ and main County Ground ensuring regular summer income).

The football club, naturally, was named “Sheffield United”. The FA had hired Bramall Lane to stage an FA Cup Semi Final in 1889, over 22,000 attending, the largest attendance outside London at that time, which convinced the United Ground Committee that football was a going concern, emphasizing their good sense in creating a football club. The club was soon elected to the Football League in 1892 into newly-formed Second Division, the first “United” in football, although the title as a “sport” name had existed in Sheffield since 1854.

The ground was used for both cricket and football until 1973. Sheffield United Cricket Club still exists playing League cricket, amongst its former players Fred Trueman and Devon Malcolm.

[steveflanuk]

Interesting few posts there John.

One potential suffix which didn't come to fruition was "Everton Athletic" or Liverpool as they're known today.

I won't go into the details of the infamous Anfield-split of 1892, but after the Everton members had voted to leave Anfield, John Houlding, the recently ousted club president, decided to form his own club and registered it with the name of "Everton Athletic" - however, there was (from what research suggests) a ruling with the F.A. (or may have been the Football League) stating that two teams from the same area could not have similar names - lest the paying spectators and press got confused. As a result of this, the F.A. ruled that the name should be with the majority of the clubs members - hence Everton moved to Mere Green (Goodison Park) and Houlding was left with a new club, with no name, at Anfield.

He originally chose Liverpool F.C. but had to change it to Liverpool A.F.C. (Association Football Club) after objections from Liverpool Rugby club.

[John Russell]

The beginnings of this most famous of London clubs lies a long way away from the state of the art Emirates Stadium, in the garrison town of Woolwich, where SE London meets NW Kent. There, a huge Government munitions factory employing thousands of workers, the Royal Arsenal, would be an unlikely cradle from which the present-day club has grown.
There, in the Dial Square workshops, a number of football-loving workmen discovered that Woolwich was in the heartland of rugby football. Coming from Scotland, the north and the midlands, some of them having played the game professionally ‘back home,’ they could not envisage being unable to play the game. Forming their own team (Which may or may not have been entitled to call itself a ‘football club.’) However, after a successful friendly on the Isle of Dogs, the workmates took the first steps in forming a bona fide Football Club.

On Christmas Day 1886 a public meeting was arranged at the Royal Oak public house next door to Woolwich Arsenal station which attracted a great number of potential members. The club was named after their workplace ‘Royal Arsenal FC’, Arsenal FC recognising this as the club’s official birthday. The centenary was celebrated on 27 December 1986, the home game nearest to the birthday.

To reflect its humble beginnings, the first games were played on Plumstead Common, then the Sportsman Ground (Plumstead Marshes) before settling at Manor Field, Plumstead (later called the Manor Ground). The club progressed rapidly and by 1890was renting a splendid ground owned by a mineral water manufacturer, the Invicta Ground, Plumstead at an annual rent of £200 a year. The club was going places, but their players were attracting the attention of professional clubs, so in 1891 they turned professional.
Although professionalism was legal, there were no professional sides south of Birmingham and Burton-upon-Trent. The London FA was furious and expelled Royal Arsenal FC denying them any future fixtures. However, the club was determined to continue, inviting northern and even Scottish clubs down to Plumstead. The ploy worked brilliantly and the club enjoyed 57 fixtures (only 9 away) then in 1892-93 a further 56 plus several FA Cup ties.
Thus encouraged, Royal Arsenal applied to join the Football League which had recently formed a Second Division. To their surprise and delight, the League accepted their application. However, their successful
Bid caused their landlord to double their rent (which was already double the rate paid by Football League sides). Enough was enough and Royal Arsenal decided to return to the Manor Ground which was little more than an open field.

Before the 1893-94 season, a football stadium had to be built on the Manor Ground, which would require money. The club therefore formed themselves into a Limited Company to raise the £4,000 needed to buy and develop the field into a League ground. ‘Royal Arsenal’ was the name of the government-owned munitions factory at which the founding members had worked, but clearly the name could not be used by a limited company. The team had become known locally as the ‘Woolwich Reds’ the obvious new name was ‘Woolwich Arsenal FC.’ Strangely the Football League continued to refer to the Club as ‘Royal Arsenal’ (the name that had been on the initial application) for several years to everyone’s amusement.

‘Woolwich Arsenal’ remained the club’s name until the move to Islington in 1913, when the ‘Woolwich’ prefix became redundant, the club initially known as ‘The Arsenal’ later simply ‘Arsenal’ However, despite the club growing beyond everyone’s wildest dreams, it has never forgotten its humble roots, an old wooden sign for ‘Royal Arsenal Football Club’ which had hung at the Royal Oak pub for years, regularly reappeared outside Highbury.

One final memory worth noting: following the initial meeting at the Royal Oak, the new club had no kit, nor money to buy any, so Fred Beardsley, a former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper, now a Dial Square worker, wrote to his old club for assistance. Back came a most generous hamper, containing a set of red shirts (Forest’s colours) and a football. Arsenal have played in red shirts ever since, the white sleeves added by manager Herbert Chapman in the 1930s so that his players could better spot one another on dark wintry days.